Tool Connections (MCP)
What Are Tool Connections?
Section titled “What Are Tool Connections?”Heard connects to your external tools like CRM, billing, and ticketing systems via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP is an open standard that lets the AI call your tools directly, without needing any custom integration code.
When a tool is connected, the AI can use it as part of its action plans: update a CRM field, issue a refund in Stripe, create a ticket in Jira, or look up account details in your billing system.
Connecting a Tool
Section titled “Connecting a Tool”- Navigate to Settings → Tool Connections
- Click Add Connection
- Enter the connection details:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | A friendly name for this tool | ”Stripe Billing” |
| MCP Server URL | The URL of the MCP server | https://mcp.stripe.com/v1 or http://internal.yourco.com:3001/mcp |
| Authentication | API key or OAuth credentials for the tool | sk_live_abc123... |
| Assigned Teams | Which teams can use this tool | Support, Billing |
- Click Test Connection — Heard discovers the tool’s available capabilities
- Click Save
How the AI Uses Tools
Section titled “How the AI Uses Tools”Once connected, the AI can include tool calls in its action plans:
Action Plan:
- Send apology email to customer (SEND_EMAIL)
- Credit $450 to their Stripe account (CRM_UPDATE via Stripe)
- Create follow-up ticket in Jira (CRM_UPDATE via Jira)
Each tool call goes through the same HITL gate as any other action. This ensures you maintain full control over what the AI does with your tools.
Team Isolation
Section titled “Team Isolation”Tools are assigned to specific teams. The Support team cannot access the Sales team’s HubSpot connection. This ensures:
- Data isolation between departments
- Least-privilege access to external systems
- Audit clarity — you know exactly which team accessed which tool
Private Network Tools
Section titled “Private Network Tools”If your MCP server is behind a firewall or VPN, the cloud-hosted Heard API can’t reach it directly. In this case, the OpenClaw acts as a bridge:
- The OpenClaw runs inside your network (or has VPN access)
- The AI dispatches the tool call to the OpenClaw
- The OpenClaw executes the call locally and returns the result
- The result is fed back to the AI for the next step
See OpenClaw Setup for details.
Supported Tool Types
Section titled “Supported Tool Types”Any system with an MCP server works with Heard. Common examples:
| Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Issue refunds, look up subscription status |
| HubSpot | Update CRM contacts, move deals through pipeline |
| Salesforce | Update opportunities, log activities |
| Jira | Create tickets, update status |
| Zendesk | Create tickets, add internal notes |
| Custom APIs | Any internal system exposed via MCP |